Music to My Ears

This is a post by JBFC Marketing Intern, Stacy Zakalik

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The 2015 “Sounds of Summer: New Music Documentaries” series is at the Burns from July 16 through August 27, 2015. Exploring many different musical genres and styles, from The Beatles to R.E.M. to the untold story of The Who, this series is a vibrant and exciting way to celebrate music in the summertime. And don’t forget our opening night film on July 16, Béla Fleck: How To Write A Banjo Concerto, followed by a Q&A with Béla Fleck!

One of the most unique aspects of this film series are the three presentations by Scott Freiman on the Beatles and their records, showing in July and August. The first, Deconstructing Sgt. Pepper, showing on July 29, looks at the famous album from multiple angles, using rare and unreleased recordings to shed light on the construction of the songs. The second presentation, Say the Word: Deconstructing the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, showing July 29 and August 13, uses rare audio and video to observe the creation of classic tracks as “Norwegian Wood,” “In My Life,” and “Nowhere Man.” The last presentation, Tomorrow Never Knows: Deconstructing the Beatles’ Revolver, showing August 13, looks at the groundbreaking production techniques on songs such as “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yellow Submarine.”

If you’re into indie and underground music, these two documentaries might be right for you. The first, R.E.M. by MTV, showing July 30, tells the story of  how indie band R.E.M. and music television channel MTV grew up together, R.E.M releasing its first single in 1981, the same year MTV debuted. The R.E.M. by MTV screening is followed by a Q&A with Bertis Downs, R.E.M.’s longtime manager, Alex Young, Director of the MTV Content Production Group, and JBFC Board President Janet Maslin. The second, Salad Days, showing August 27, is a documentary about underground punk rock bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Marginal Man, and Fugazi.

If you’re a Who fan, then the documentary Lambert & Stamp, showing August 19, may be of interest to you. Told from an entirely new perspective about the now classic band, it details the story of Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, two managers who hoped to find a successful band and did so with The Who.

Lastly, if you’re into music history, The Wrecking Crew, showing August 11, may be a good film to see. About the studio musicians who provided the backbeat and the melody to many of the most famous songs of the 1960’s, it shows these musicians recording with Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds, and The Beach Boys.

For a full list of films being shown in the 2015 Sounds of Summer series, visit our website.